Shackle-seal



W. M. BROOKS.

SHACKLE SEAL- APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, I920.

Patented Sept. 28,1920.

UNETED STATES PATENT QFFlCE.

WINFRED MUDGE BROOKS, OF

VEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

SHACKLE-SEAL.

T 0 all whom z't may concern Be it known that I, VVINFRED M. Bnooirs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of .Vest Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shackle Seals, ofwhich the following is a specification. I

The present invention relates generally to shackle seals such as are used in connection withfreight cars, and has for its main object the provision of a seal that may be made entirely of sheet material, and which will furnish evidence of tampering should any unauthorized person attempt to open the seal.

To this end the invention consists of the hereinafter described features of construction, a preferred form of which is described in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a view of a portion of a freight car with the shackle seal of my invention in position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of an unbent seal embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of the blank shown in Figsrl and 2, but bent up and sealed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

1 indicates a blank of sheet metal in strip form, having near one end thereof one or more notches 2 in one of its longitudinal side edges. Adjacent the opposite end of said sheet metal blank is a sealing member 3 of sheet material, said sealing member being superimposed upon, and secured to, the sheet metal blank by riveting as indicated by the hole 4. Said sealing member is provided with a slotted portion 5 that is parallel to one of the side edges of blank 1, and is further provided with one or more notches 6 intended to cooperate with notch 2. It will be seen that the notch 6 in the sealing member is so disposed with reference to the longitudinal side edges of blank 1 that it is disposed adjacent that side edge of said blank 1 which is op osite that in which notch 2 is formed. It will further be seen that the notches 2 and 6 are inclined in opposite directions and that notch 6 terminates in, or is in free communication with, slotted portion 5. Sealing member 3 is provided Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

1920. Serial No. 377,227.

with a tell-tale lug 7 connected to said sealmg member by means of connectlng portion 8, there being preferably one or more weakened zones as indicated by 9 in the connecting portion. Said sealing member and said blank do not occupy a parallel position, but, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 6, there is sufficient space between the two to admit of the introduction of an extra thickness of sheet metal as will be explained. The sealing device is shipped in blank form so to speak; that is to say, in the form indicated in Fig. 2, for instance, and the person who uses the sealing device will insert it through a hasp as indicated by 10, Figs. 1 and 4, at the same time forming the blank into a loop. One end of the sheet metal blank is then crossed over the sealing member, and notches 2 and 6 are interlocked to prevent longitudinal displacement of the parts in respect to each other; that end of the sheet metal blank in which 2 is located. lying between its own other end and the sealing member. The telltale lug 7 is now bent over the interlocked ends of the sheet metal blank, the folding being along one or more weakened lines as 9, thereby completing the sealing operation. Should any unauthorized person attempt to tamper with the seal, such person must unbend the tell-tale lug thereby fracturing the weakened Zone created by previously bending along line 9, and thus giving notice that the device has been tampered with. The advantage of having notch 6 in the sealing member instead of in the side edge of the sheet metal blank is that, in order to remove the notched end of the sheet metal blank from engagement with the sealing member, it is necessary to effect a complete unbending of the tell-tale lug, thereby insuring fracture of the material along the weakened zone thereof. To admit of the sealing device being inspected without the necessity of disturbing any of its parts, tell-tale lu 7 is provided with an opening 11 through which the interlocked notches are visible.

I claim:

1. A shackle seal comprising: a sheet metal blank in strip form having, near one end thereof, a notch in one of its side edges, a sheet metal sealing member, superimposed on said sheet metal blank near its other end, having a notch complementary to the first and disposed adjacent the opposite side edge of the sh et metal blank, means for so securing the sealing member to the sheet metal blank as to admit of the introduction of thickness of sheet metal between the two,

' beyond one of the side edges of the sheet metal blank to be folded over'the interlocked parts. V

2. A shackle seal comprising: a sheet metal blank in strip form having, near one a v 'end thereof, a notch in one of its side edges,

a sheet metal sealing member, superimposed on said sheet metal blank near its other end, having a notch complementary to the first and disposed adjacent the opposite side edge of the sheet metal blank, means for so securing the sealing member to thesheet metal blank as to admit of the introduction of a thickness of sheet metal between the two, said blank being bent back upon itself to form a loop and the notches interlocked, by crossing one end of the blank over the sealing member to prevent longitudinal displacement oi the two ends of the strip, and a lug projecting from the sealing member beyond one of the side edges of the sheet metal blank to be folded over the interlocked parts, said lug being partly separated from the sealing member by a slot extending parallel'to one of the side edges of the sheet metal blank, said slot communicating with the notch in the sealing member.

Signed at New York city, in theborough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, this 26 day of April, 1920.

WINFRED MUDGE BROOKS. 

